The Crack of Doom

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

26563

Title

The Crack of Doom

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A visionary narrative exploring the destructibility of the atom and the illusion of the material universe. Narrator Arthur Marcel joins the enigmatic Cui Bono Society, led by the brilliant Herbert Brande, to witness a radical experiment that shatters conventional science. With a tone of intellectual suspense and cosmic dread, this tale challenges the reader to accept a terrifying new reality where the universe itself is a mistake, and the only remedy is a catastrophic flight from a dying Earth.

Summary up to 500 words

In Robert Cromie's *The Crack of Doom*, Arthur Marcel, a wealthy doctor turned traveler, crosses paths with the enigmatic Herbert Brande aboard a ship bound for Queenstown. Brande, possessing a profound and unsettling intellect, invites Marcel to join the Cui Bono Society, an organization dedicated to the radical proposition that the universe is a fundamental error. Upon arriving in London, Marcel attends a guest night hosted by Brande's sister, Natalie, where he is introduced to the Society's disturbing theories. The narrative quickly escalates as Brande demonstrates that atoms are destructible, effectively dismantling the known laws of physics and the conservation of energy. Following a dramatic explosion at sea, which Brande claims was caused by a mere drop of water, the Society's true purpose is revealed: to facilitate humanity's escape from a cosmos destined for destruction. Brande argues that matter, life, and death are merely conditions of the ether, and that suffering is inherent to a flawed cosmic structure. As the story progresses, the Society prepares a desperate flight to save humanity from an impending catastrophe. The narrative builds to a climax involving a massive explosion and a final departure, leaving the fate of the expedition and the validity of Brande's warnings to the reader's judgment. The text blends pseudo-scientific speculation with a gothic atmosphere, questioning the very nature of existence and the limits of human knowledge. The novel suggests that the universe itself is a mistake, a chaotic accumulation of etheric particles that inevitably lead to suffering and eventual collapse. Brande's lectures reveal that the indestructibility of the atom is a false creed of cruelty, and that the material world is a 'meretricious atomic remedy' adopted by the ether to cure its local sores. The story culminates in a confrontation with the inevitable end of the current reality, forcing Marcel and his companions to choose between accepting a miserable existence or embracing a perilous flight into the unknown. The work serves as a warning to mankind, urging them to accept the truth of their cosmic predicament before the final catastrophe of the year 2000 (or 1900, per the text's internal chronology) renders escape impossible.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Horror
• Science Fiction